Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Series 6 - What Did YOU Think?

The Series 6 finale has now aired in the UK and North America (and other Secret Squirrel locations), but what did YOU think of the thirteen episodes as a whole? Did the split work? Leave your thoughts, opinions and theories in the comments section below.

Obviously, there may be some spoilers in the comments if you haven't seen The Wedding Of River Song, so watch out.

35 comments:

i don't tend to be critical about the show im just a sit down and watch on a Saturday night sort of fan viewing each one as a new adventure. in the same way i don't pay to much attention to the writer or director etc etc

so as a viewer the show this season has been the most intriguing and fun to follow with plot twists and classic references (I love continuity!!)

one thing i do pay attention to is the actors, and Matt and Karen and Athur this season have been just brilliant and a delight to watch

Series 6 was the best outing for Matt Smith's 11th Doctor. We got to see his Doctor confront his demons, we finally saw his Doctor walk away, stonger, defiant but accepted of his "becoming too big!" since the series began.

The stories that focused on the main story arc were amazing, the Silence is probably the best new alien enemy created since Doctor Who returned, and so cleverly undefeated in a way that allows them to remain as an enemy

Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvil had such epic moments again, and showed real acting performances as companions but also as a mirror for the Doctor To snap out of his "routine"...Karen in a girl who waited showed she is destined for great things outside Doctor Who, and Arthur had such epic television moments like punching out hitler and sticking him in a cupboard!!

The River Song Storyline, while not exactly subtle or surprising, was very well executed, with some amazing writing that will be remembered, the Tick Tock Poem, the legend of Demons run...what it really meant when River finally met her Doctor

To those who didnt "get" this series or its style, instead of attacking and blaming the show, its writers or Moffat...they need to really ask themselves why they didnt get it, because I do feel that if you feel you didnt get it..the fault lies in you more then the show

Not a perfect series by a long shot, but its the best the 11th Doctor has had so far, be interested to see how a Doctor in the Shadows will tell his story.

But the real casualty is the loss of Doctor Who Confidential...a confusing confounding decision by the controller of BBC3 who failed to understand that DWC is an integral and vital part of the Doctor Who Experience for both the young and adult audience of the show.

This season didn't reach my expectations of being the best series ever. I probably hold it on the same level as series 5 over-all, due to the spectacular Moffat opening and two-parters in that season.

However, overall it was a brilliant season. Some weak episodes let the season down, with Curse of the Black Spot being this years Victory of the Daleks and Night Terrors and the Gangers two-parter failing to keep up with the high quality eps elsewhere in the series. The structure of the series also damaged it, with the season break not enhancing, but in fact diminishing, the effect of the other-wise brilliant Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler.

What has been strongest, however, was the thematic scope of the series and its brilliant cast. Matt, Karen and Arthur are the best Tardis team ever and I loved their characters, with Smith in particular making even the lesser episodes great to watch. As the for theme - the Doctor's future death forcing him to come to terms with his role in the universe, and the danger he poses, was fantastic. Best of all, it was resolved in brilliant fashion in the finale with the Doctor realising his value, but also the need to sink back into the shadows. Moffat has placed the identity of the Doctor as the key 'question' of the show. To my eyes, this has finally undone the damage the RTD/Tennant era did to the Doctor's persona and hopefully allows the themes that were addressed in early Eccleston and even McCoy era Who back to the fore.

A series will always be judged on it's episodes, however. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon was AMAZING and flies in the face of claims Moffat has declined as showrunner (that two parter, as well as the opening and two 2-parters from series 5 are head and shoulders above his work in the RTD era in my opinion). The Doctor's Wife, The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex showed a new confidence to the stand alone episode, and are amongst the best stand-alones since the series began (joining great company such as Dalek, Blink, Amy's Choice and...wow I really can't think of any others close to matching the quality of these episodes). Good Man Goes To War showed some brilliant character work, with newly introduced characters capturing the imagination of many fans like very few who have come before. It also has a brilliant theme and some great performances. I feel it would have worked better, however, as an actual two-parter and both it and Let's Kill Hitler felt somewhat disjointed. For example, I would have liked to see Vastra/Jenny joining the Doctor's search for Melody and the Headless Monks/Kovorian also looking for River in Berlin. So many great things were introduced in GMGTW that the small cast of Let's Kill Hitler felt like a downscale rather than upping the ante. While providing the thrill, character work and twists expected from an 'arc' episode, it lacked the bells and whistles I'm so used to getting in Moffat episodes.

Luckily, the finale provided these in bulk and was a brilliant work for me. The solution to the the death had already been set up, so felt like less of a cheat than in last years. I loved how the Doctor outsmarted the Silence through both his knowledge of time and general smarts. When tricking a Time Lord, probably best not to use a time-trap! Thematically, the episode delivered as I mentioned earlier. More than anything, the device of the Doctor's death was a way to take the show in a new direction.

And it is the new direction I commend this series for most, despite it's flaws. A new enemy was introduced, as powerful and dangerous as the Daleks and with a horrifcly creepy monster at it's centre. The Whoniverse feels more full of threat than ever and it was great to see that the days of defaulting on an old enemy are over. If anything, this whole series has been about setting up this new threat and the Doctor's response. This response means that next year we may see more mystery to the Doctor, a smaller scale and perhaps a return to Stand-alone episodes. If Moffat can deliver on some great stand-alone two parters (all other Nu-Who writers seem to really struggle with these, with there not being a great non-Moffat two parter since Impossible Planet and Human Nature), and the standard set by TGWW, TGC and TDW is maintained for single episode writers, we could see the best series ever next year!

Lovely series. Some of the best episodes of nuWho are in the series, including the Doctor's Wife, The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex. Plus A Christmas Carol (which I happen to think is one of Moffat's best stories ever). All the Moffat stories were excellent, even if some of it didn't quite make sense. Every one was totally enjoyable, and I loved Let's Kill Hitler and TWORS... just awesome, Moffat!

I have high hopes for series 7, hopefully he can keep firing on all cylinders and we get something even better than this one that just completed.

Matt Smith was brilliant in series 5 in series 6 he forces me to make up a new word for it... I don't know what the word will be yet. The joy of the travel, the agony of the weight of the universe on his shoulders, the guilt for the people he's hurt. Every emotion, sometimes in a single episode, and all while showing his age better (in my opinion) than any actor to ever play the Doctor before.

Amy's an ok companion, I like her well enough, she's obviously very pretty and she clearly is a great actress (Girl Who Waited = exhibit A), but Arthur Darvill's Rory is an amazing character, with great character development from day one.

There were definitely episodes that were lacking (Curse of the Black Spot is the worst in quite a while IMO), overall I did enjoy this season's writing a lot. I hope we'll see more Neil Gaiman written episodes next Series as the Doctor's Wife is my favorite episode of New Who to date. I liked the overarching plot and look forward to seeing how the Doctor being "low key" will work out. So far I prefer the Moffatt era to the RTD era, because he's shown that for the last 6 years the Doctor really over extended himself, made himself too important and cannot continue this path indefinitely.

I had very mixed feelings. I don't like the current plot driven direction of the show; I don't care for stories based on how twisty the plot can be made vs those which arise more naturally from the characters themselves. Several episodes I thought were just a waste of resources, and then we'd get one that had some bits that were brilliant, or funny, or moving. Therefore a mixed bag for me.

Barring a few standout episodes, and the gloriousness that is Rory Williams, I really was not impressed with Series 6. It felt like a convoluted mess that was a series of moments stuck together with fraying thread and bubble gum, with the sole purpose being not to tell a good story, but to make an unsolvable puzzle.

And then, there was how River Song was sort of...well, I don't want to say ruined, because I'd rather not sound like one of those shrill fanboys who shriek "THE SHOW IS RUINED FOREVER!", but still, everything that made River great seems to be gone now. She was an independent woman who we find out is actually utterly dependent on the Doctor for every direction her life has gone. She also now seems to be someone who loves him only because she doesn't actually know any other way, which makes the relationship feel forced. They feel like they're going through the motions because that's what the script says they're supposed to be doing.

However, I must say that both Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill's performances this year have been wonderful. No matter what I think of the script, the way they played the script out was masterful.

I felt it was a slog to get through. I actually took a break after the mess that was "Let's Kill Hitler", and just caught up this week so that I could watch the finale. All in all, I felt that it opened strong, then petered out. Best episodes? Significantly,they were all written by NotStevenMoffat. Gaiman's was the most satisfying story-wise and emotionally, and made me realize how much fun I'm not having with the Moffat era WHO.

At the end of the day, Moffat is really confirming my Series 5 suspicions of him as a one-trick pony. He does the same thing over and over again, doesn't care about emotional arcs, and expects us not to notice his huge gaps in logic. For instance, in the finale, did time STOP -- as would be implied by the fact that all the clocks were stuck at 5:22 or whatever it was -- or was all time happening at once, which is what the Doctor kept saying in the let's-try-and-remind-people-what's-going-on infodump to Churchill? You can't have it both ways, but Moffat expects nobody to notice.

In Series 5 and 6, Moffat has succeeded in ruining River Song, the Weeping Angels, and, frankly, the Doctor. Matt Smith is rarely given anything to do, and has fallen back on waving his wrists about and being alternately sad/manic. I'm kind of over it. I have a feeling I won't be back for Series 7, which kills me. I wish Moffat would stick to the brilliant SHERLOCK and hand WHO over to somebody else.

In response to the last person's post, all of time was unraveling/happening at the same time, in such a way as everything was happening at once, I don't believe anyone ever said time had stopped, simply that the time and date were always the same as the source of the unraveling of time. As for the "info-dump" to Churchill, most of that information was unknown and a good story telling device.

Amy was mildly more interesting, Matt was absolutely FANTASTIC as the Doctor, and the entire overall plot was a waste of space (all puns intended)

Moffat has somehow managed to ruin River and Weeping Angels (during Tennant era those were my fav EVAH!)Every single episode started out strong and then just..dunno.. slammed into a wall and wrapped up as sloppy and lazy as possible ("Doctor Wife" however, was the greatest episode in recent years)Too many episodes were simply there for "catch words" (hello sweetie, fez, jammie dodgers and spoilers!) and 3-5 jokes while barely contributing to a solid plot

Hope next year goes in a different direction! This one was disappointing

I'm with Janice, Storm Wolf and the 2nd Anonymous... I'm not going to rehash their points but suffice to say I was very disappointed in the handling of both River and the assassination. There were some very good scenes throughout the Moffat episodes, but the best episodes by far were written by MacRae, Gaiman and Whithouse.

CockneyCharmer: please understand that just because others dislike what you like does not mean they do not 'get' it - the very suggestion makes you sound like a douche.

The good days seem behind us now. The BBC's conscious that something's wrong and has scrapped DWC; I think we need to start praying for a miracle. The last episode had flashes of greatness but that's not enough - every episode needs to shine and that's no longer happening. The character's been built up to be god-like because it's easier than being creative and coming up with good, solid plots. Perhaps another 16-year rest is needed top restore the brand and give someone time to re-imagine the series again?

To John Manning: Since it's ratings and production costs that drive what stays on TV I don't think that Doctor Who is in any jeopardy, as its viewership is as high or higher than it's ever been and production costs have not gone up (as ironically several DWC episodes have mentioned off hand)

The reason they decided to scrap DWC is that it had relatively high production costs and relatively low viewership, they could make a reality show with much lower production costs that would have the same number of viewers. So I wouldn't worry that the Doctor is going anywhere.

I'd rank the season as being 33% intriguing, 33% exciting and 33% a letdown.

With the exception of the opening firestorm of 'Impossible'/'Day of the Moon', my split seemed to be applicable to each episode. For the first third, I was intrigued, for the second, excited, and as soon as the episode was over, I'd just go back to doing whatever I was doing before the episode.

I *loathe* to say this, but I think I'm just not convinced of Matt's Doctor. He does a fine job, but it is a fine job by a 20something. With full admission that I was introduced to Doctor Who via Tom Baker, I simply believe Doctors who, in real life, have more than four decades' worth of life experience to draw on.

I loved this season. It will easily be one of my favourite seasons of not only this show but of any television show period. With the except of The Curse of the Black Spot I found every episode to be full of excitement and phenomenal acting. Bring on the Christmas special I say!

I actually just started watching this season the day Let's Kill Hitler aired, so I haven't had much to compare to, but I found every episode to be entertaining and funny and at the same time serious and creepy and just amazing. Maybe it's just because I'm not a very judgmental person when it comes to tv but I absolutely loved the storyline. If you watch it separately it's like, "Moffat OMG what are you even doing?" but then if you put it together you can actually get it and I love that! Because everything is all connected even when it doesn't seem like it is, and that's just fantastic to me. I know some people said some of the plot reveals were predictable but the thing is, if you look at it every single thing could've been predicted because the clues were left to find, so good for you if you picked up on them, because I certainly didn't!

And as this is the first Doctor I watched, I love Matt Smith as the Doctor. Even compared with David Tennant I actually like him better because he does go through such a wide range of emotion in such short time periods, which is part writing and part acting. And I loved Amy and Rory and to an extent River as the Companions, because they're just great. IMO this entire show is just flawless.

Overall, I really enjoyed season six. My fave ep was probably 'The Doctors Wife' and my least favourite 'Curse of the Black Spot'... I was very dissapointed when I fist watched 'The Wedding of River Song' mainly because it wasnt what i thought it was going to be and left so many questions unanswered but, on re-watching, Ive since learnt to enjoy it for what it is. It certainly been a very dark season (literally) and now seems a million miles away from the bright colours and CBBC direction of season 4 (a good thing IMO). Next year I'd like to see a few more straight forward stories and a new likeable companion (Ive had enough of Amy and Rory)... But, overall, I'd give season 6 a 8/10... well done :o)

Opening 2 eps, superb! Series peaked early with the sublime 'Drs Wife'! Then It all went a bit average really, even the Moffat eps which is unusual. Amy & Rory's reaction to losing there baby was unbelievable, and a misjudgement even for a fantasy show. And if, as the storyline suggests we are looking at losing Matt Smith soon, I honestly feel this would kill the show, the succession of Dr's in the 80's was fatal.

I'm an RTD fan, I'm usually fairly clear about that. RTD at least started every script by concentrating on characters and their interactions, then plot, then whatever narrative trickery he wanted to use would come last. It made for an emotional show where I actually CARED what happened to a companion. While I feel they are interesting, I could care less if Amy or Rory die...and River Song has been totally ruined now.

Moffat on the other hand starts off with some narrative trick or twist and then cobbles an episode around it. Which seems to be why everything this season has been so convoluted and messy narrative-wise.

Also, this notion of wiping away what RTD did pisses me off. The man almost single-handedly revived a show that has been off the air for years...you can dislike the man's writing if you like, but for gods sake show a little damned RESPECT. You wouldn't have a show without him to talk about.

Series 5 was decent, Series 6 has mostly (barring the EXCELLENT Gaiman-penned ep) been a mess of random "cool" ideas, catchphrases for catchphrases sake, plots that make little sense once you break them down into brass tacks, and nearly ZERO emotion.

You know why THE DOCTOR'S WIFE is such a stellar episode? Because it HAS emotion. Matt smith finally got to show he has decent chops at emoting, and even Amy and Rory are well written there. THE DOCTOR'S WIFE was good because it's the type of episode that would have been well at home in RTD's era.

I gotta disagree with you Scott, Stephen Moffatt has nothing but respect for RTD and vice versa, I've never seen either say anything bad about the other. After all RTD did choose Stephen Moffatt for the post.

A lot of people here seem to think this is the worst doctor whonhas been however I struggle to sit through lots is series 4 and the specials. I actually find the end of time a bit insulting... I prefer Moffat's writing but instill think RTD made some brilliant and beautiful Doctor who. I often wonder which writer everyone would prefer if Moffat came first and RTD took over... I think I know

Other's have said it before me - it's a renaissance, a new golden age since...well, after painful consideration, since the show began. (The Hinchcliffe era is probably the most easily comparable, though)It feels odd to be making such bold statements so early, but even after attempts at rationalising it, I realise the show has never been so exciting, bold, high-concept, and rooted to it's own core (and considering it has no original creator, is quite a feat).I strongly believe this isn't just to do with Moffat's prowess as one of the best working screenwriters, but also that Doctor Who is at the core of who he is - he lives and breathes it. As the saying goes, geniuses employ geniuses, and Moffat has built a team of writers, producers and artists that together are greater than the sum of their parts. It's no PR stunt that it's getting record worldwide attention, especially in America and acclaim in the creative industries.Just like Moffat was seemingly born to run the show, so is Matt Smith as the Doctor. Personally, after careful consideration, he is my favourite, but objectively I think he'll put as big a stamp on the role as Tom Baker.Matt Smith isn't like Moffat, you wouldn't think he was born to play the part, but in retrospect, he just instantly "gets" the core of the Doctor like no other, probably without even realising it, and helped by his collaboration with Moffat. To me, he's pretty much The Chosen One :PKaren and Arthur have also achieved emotional depth and complexity in their characters rarely seen with the exception of Ace. Full marks to Moffat for sticking with them for so long and hopefully into the future - he's built a tight family dynamic not seen since Susan, Ian and Barbara, which becomes better the longer you know these characters.ALex Kingston and River Song is truly inspired - Moffat knew, even if he hadn't figured out the exact plot, that this was the way he could sneak in an emotional layer that would be impossible any other way - and how else would you get the audience (or the continuity) to accept a wife for the Doctor? The only way was for them to know (or at least suspect) all along. I see what you did there, Moffat ;)In short, Moffat's legacy with this series is one of opening doors that have always been shut, and of endless possibilities. It's a beautifully spectacular regeneration.

I find it hard to believe so many people think this has been a great season. Among the Whovians here we are getting disappointed with the quality of most stories. The Moffat stories are worth watching and makes it a challenge to follow and figure it all out. The 2-parter with the Gangers drew close parallels to what our society is doing today - those of you who didn't like it, did you miss that? That story had a clear message for us that. But the losers were all the other stories. Not much imagination in those stories and some were pretty hoky. The Tardis becoming personalized - Night Terrors had little creativity - and a creature that feeds on faith?? We scraping the bottom of the barrel here. The Girl Who Waited had promise but how many times will we see the relationship between Amy & Rory twisted by time-altered scenarios.

I watch DW hoping I will see something other programs don't provide like a challenge to the mind or innovative entertainment. Unfortunately I felt this season took a step back. Moffat is doing the best of all writers but he is not coming close to his earlier triumphs like Blink or Empty Child/Doctor Dances.

I don´t enjoy the show as much since Moffat took over as head writer. There is the occasional great episode (Neil Gaiman´s was brilliant), there are enjoyable scenes, and I really like Matt´s Doctor, Amy and Rory. I even like some of the ideas in Moffat´s episodes. But I totally dislike River and her storyline. The character is just too overbearing. She´s been "out-doctoring" the Doctor ever since the series 5 finale, and by tieing her identity into what happened in season 5, Moffat has turned the show pretty much completely into "The River Song Show" from the day he took over. I´d rather have Doctor Who back, thank you.

Also, I am not fond of giant-arc series that leave the viewer with more and more questions each season, so I don´t like the overall structure the series has right now, with too many open questions being carried on into the next season(s). I prefer self-contained adventures or, at least, seasons. If it wasn´t Doctor Who, tbqh, I´d stop watching, but even so, I´m already trying to avoid anything else that has Steven Moffat involved.

The best series of Nu-Who so far with consistent high quality episodes. Matt Smith is simply a joy to watch and portrays Eleven extraordinarily well. Karen and Arthur have shown great acting talent (TGWW springs to mind) and really compliment Matt's Doctor. We can only hope that series 7 maintains (and improves on) it's predecessor's high standards.